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January 22, 2019, PNLR News

Failure to diagnose aortic dissection

The estate of a woman who died of a dissecting aorta sued an urgent care facility and a family physician for failure to diagnose the woman’s condition. The plaintiff claimed that, in light of the patient’s symptoms and history, the physician should have sent her to the hospital for a CT scan. The jury awarded $860,000. Tedder v. Carrieri.

Marisha Tedder, 37, had a history of stroke. After experiencing chest pain over a 24-hour period, she went to an urgent care facility, where she was seen by family physician David Carrieri. Carrieri performed a clinical workup and ordered an X-ray and EKG. He ruled out a dissecting aorta, diagnosed chest pain, and sent Tedder home. The next morning, Tedder’s partner discovered that she had died.

Tedder is survived by her partner and their four minor children.

Tedder’s estate sued Carrieri and the urgent care facility, alleging failure to diagnose a dissecting aorta. The plaintiff claimed that in light of Tedder’s symptoms and history, the physician should have sent her to the hospital for a CT scan. Additionally, suit alleged that Carrieri failed to diagnose a widening of the mediastinum, which was evident on the X-ray and would have warranted transfer to a hospital for further workup.

The jury awarded $860,000. Interest and other stipulated amounts increased the award to approximately $877,000.